The End of the Line
by TheQueen9
Summary: "Fury needs to talk to you. He said it's important," Steve informed Beth nonchalantly. She sighed, making her way to the makeshift office of Nick Fury, "you needed to see me?" He gestured for her to sit down, and she quickly obliged. "We found him." He informed her flatly before sitting down. Beth opened her mouth to respond,
1. Introduction

Fury needs to talk to you. He said it's important," Steve informed Beth nonchalantly.

She sighed, making her way to the makeshift office of Nick Fury, "you needed to see me?"

He gestured for her to sit down, and she quickly obliged.

"We found him." He informed her flatly before sitting down. Beth opened her mouth to respond, but he cut her off, "we found James Buchanan Barnes" he said, this time more forcefully before continuing "and you're going to help him remember."

Elizabeth "Beth" Moore is famed for her stealthy form of attack and swift completion of all missions assigned to her; one of S.H.I.E.L.D's most well respected agents, she was among the few chosen by Nick Fury to carry on S.H.I.E.L.D's work following the destruction of most of the Triskelion in D.C. With the help of Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, Fury and his team have tracked down James Buchanan Barnes—and he has tasked Beth, as his now second-in-command, and Steve with helping him to remember his past life as the real Bucky Barnes. But this will be no easy feat.

With HYDRA tracking the movement of their entire unit, they won't rest until they have reclaimed their prized Winter Soldier. But what will happen when they find their weapon regaining a sense of his former self? What will happen when they find that James Barnes has become resilient and resentful towards his so-called 'creators'?

It will take Beth and Steve all they have to help Bucky remember all of who he used to be. And it will take all of Beth's willpower not to admit that her feelings for Bucky grow fonder with each encounter. But with imminent threats directed towards what remains of S.H.I.E.L.D, can she afford to compromise its safety—and hers—for the sake of her emotions? Or will Beth have to break the one rule she swore she would always upkeep as an agent: don't let love get in the way of business.


	2. The Fall

_She watched as Steve's body fell from atop of one of the helicarriers. She felt herself scream as she watched her best friend plummet into the depths of the Potomac River. She felt herself screaming, her lungs felt as if they were about to implode. But she did not make a sound. Her screams continued, tears beginning to form in her eyes. And yet she produced no audible sound. _

"Beth—" She thought she heard her name, but dismissed it quickly.

_It was as if time itself had stopped, nothing around her moved. Everything was still. The imprint of his limp body tumbling from the sky, as she watched on helplessly, would forever be ingrained in her mind. She had just witnessed her closest friend fall inevitably to his death, and there was nothing she could do to change that. _

"Elizabeth!" the voice shouted once more. Letting out a gasp, she awoke, startled. _He's fine_. She thought to herself. _He's fine_. She looked around for the source of the voice. Her eyes scanned the room quickly, taking in the awfully boring furniture, but that was typical for a hospital. She stopped looking when her gaze landed on a familiar face. She produced a small smile.

"He's wants to see you." Nicholas J. Fury informed her. With a quick nod of his head, he carried on walking towards the entrance.

Beth spared no second in getting to his room. She had been begging them to let her in ever since they had found his body washed up somewhere along the banks of the Potomac. She had to know that he was okay, she had to _see _him. Eagerly twisting the door- knob she rushed inside before stopping abruptly.

She took in his unkempt hair and his bruised face. He looked a mess. She approached the bed slowly—he hadn't heard her come in.

"Steve?" She whispered. No response.

"_Steve!_" This time it was a harsh whisper. It seemed to work. She saw him moving to sit upright; she moved to stand beside him, helping him get comfortable. She reached across him, her hands trying fumbling around trying to find the button that would make the bed rise. But she felt two strong arms encircle her before she could find it. She let out a laugh.

"It's good to see you Betty," he said. She felt the vibration of his laughter through her chest. She breathed in slowly; his usual scent of peppermint was undetectable today, but that was understandable. In that moment she felt a wave of relief wash over her. He was going to be okay. She moved out of the hug to see him better.

She sighed, "Steve, I told you not to call me that" she told him sternly. A few moments passed, before they both burst out into laughter. She slapped his shoulder lightly before she finally spoke "it's good to see you too Rogers. "

Following everything that happened in New York, Beth had been asked by Fury to help Steve adjust to the modern age. She was patient at the best of times, but it was her amusement at his reactions to even the simplest of technologies that made her think it was all worth it. The two had been almost inseparable in the two years that intervened between then and now. Beth was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, and that didn't leave much room for making friends. But she was glad she had been able to make at least one friend. Even if it was Captain America.

"Beth, your hair has certainly seen better days." Steve laughed as he tugged gently on a few strands of her auburn hair. She suddenly became conscious of how she must have looked, blushing ever so slightly. She hadn't brushed it in the last four days; she had been too preoccupied with other things to worry about appearances.

"I've been in this hospital since you arrived, bud" she replied.

"And how long would that be?" He asked her.

"I don't know, three weeks maybe?"

"THREE WEEKS?" He shot up quickly, his face full of alarm.

Beth chuckled before saying, "relax Steve, it's been four days."

"Have I ever told you that I hate you?" He said with smile.

"All the time" She retorted.

The morning passed with Beth filling Steve in on all he had missed in the past few days, which, surprisingly, was quite a lot. The Triskelion was all but destroyed, from one side at least. Fury thought it would be best to keep S.H.I.E.L.D under the radar until he could be sure HYDRA wasn't monitoring his whereabouts. For now, Sam Wilson and a small group of S.H.I.E.L.D agents were operating in a covert location in D.C, but it would only be a matter of time before they would have to relocate in fear of being found.

Right now, Fury had made it his priority to track down the location of The Winter Soldier, but he had made Beth promise not to tell Steve of his intent under any circumstances, in case the mission had to be terminated prematurely.

There was a knock and both Beth and Steve both snapped their heads towards the door. "Come in" they answered simultaneously, giving each other amused looks.

Sam entered the room, grinning at the sight before him. "Why hello there Elizabeth." He bowed jokingly. Beth got out of her chair to let him sit down and talk with Steve.

"_Samuel_." She mock- curtseyed before giving him a smile.

"Behave, both of you." Steve warned, though his tone was light hearted.

"Relax, Cap, you'll get your turn with the Falcon," he moved to sit in the seat Beth had occupied.

After saying her goodbyes, Beth moved out of the room and made quickly for the exit. It would be nice to see the light of day once more.

_Two weeks later_

"How is he feeling now?" Sam asked Beth as he joined her at the table.

"He's doing much better."

"Does Fury have any more on—"

"Not now" she warned him quickly as she heard the familiar footfalls of Steve approaching the room. They were in the second location of S.H.I.E.L.D's secret headquarters, and not even a month had passed. Nick had assured the team that this base would last longer than the first, 'but maybe not long enough to get yourselves comfortable' he had cautioned.

"Fury needs to talk to you. He said it's important," Steve informed Beth nonchalantly as he entered the room. By now Steve was used to Fury withholding information until he was ready to tell him. Whatever it was, he would find out eventually.

She sighed, hoping it wasn't another relocation. She made her way to Fury's makeshift office, "you needed to see me?"

He gestured for her to sit down, and she quickly obliged. The desk was old and wooden, but it did what Fury needed it to do. The sight of such advanced technology atop the withering table made Beth smile, but her thoughts were cut short.

"We found him." He informed her flatly before sitting down.

Beth opened her mouth to respond. Him? The Winter Soldier?

He cut her off before she could articulate her thoughts into words, "we the Winter Soldier." He affirmed.

"We found James Buchanan Barnes" he said before continuing "and you're going to help him remember."


	3. We've Found Him

She stared at him disbelief. Several moments passed before she opened her mouth to talk again.

"What about Ste—?"

"You can't tell Steve." Fury sighed, "not yet at least."

"But Director Fury, why—"

"Now, Beth" he started, "I'm not Director of S.H.I.E.L.D anymore. Director would imply that I actually have an organisation to _direct_. And since when did you start calling me Director Fury?" He let out a huff.

She didn't reply, only smiled sadly. She knew how much his position had meant to him, and how tirelessly he had fought to get it. It was true though; she rarely addressed him as Director. Maybe it was her way of letting him know everything was going to be okay. Not that he needed that affirmation, Nick Fury was many things, but he wasn't an easy person to conquer on the best of days, and certainly not by _HYDRA_.

He signaled for Beth to carry on.

"_Nick_" she corrected herself, "we've been at this for weeks, don't you think Steve has figured it out by now?"

"No." He replied flatly.

"Look Nick, we have to be realistic here. If we've actually found the Winter Soldier, how do you suppose we're going to keep that from Steve? You saw the look on his face when he came back to the Triskellion and told us he had just seen his _best_ _friend_—"

"But that's the problem Elizabeth, it's _not_ his best friend. The James Barnes he knew isn't the same one waiting for us in Brooklyn. Well, I say waiting..."

"Brooklyn? And what do you mean he's waiting for us?" Beth asked.

"Sentiment I suppose, we've been tracking him for a while now but I had to make sure. I had Agent Hill coordinate a team down there, her last time 'returning a favour' before leaving us to work for Stark. Not that there's an 'us' to leave anymore... Anyway, I figured if there is anything left inside the shell of a man that HYDRA made him, he'd head back there."

She didn't respond, waiting for him to answer her second question. He nodded in acknowledgement.

"I don't know how easy it'll be to stabilise him yet and I'm not taking any chances. When I say he's waiting us, of course, I mean you and a special ops team. "

"And where did you get yourself one of those, Mr. I'm-Not-Director-Of-Anything-Fury?"

He laughed. A genuine laugh that Beth hasn't seen or heard in a long time.

Fury had been her Supervising Officer when she joined SHIELD. He hadn't quite achieved Director status at that point, but he certainly had no qualms in giving orders.

They had first met after an attack near Moore's Eatery, a quaint but well liked cafe in West Virginia. The business had been in the family for generations, Beth saw herself running it after she had come home from finishing college. She was only twelve then, her mother was killed on site.

Her brother and father were taken into the intensive care unit after that. For days she had sat by their sides, hoping for some kind of miracle that would save them. The doctors had tried, but there was nothing left to do.

She had buried her mother and brother on the same day. As for her father, his body had very mysteriously gone missing soon after he was pronounced dead. The doctors had apologised, said this sort of thing happens from time to time.

"_It just happens_?!" she remembered screaming at them.

The day of the funeral was the day she had met Nicholas Fury. He claimed to be a friend of her parents' and that he had come to pay his respects.

Grief stricken, Beth had been thankful that she didn't have to bury them on her own. Even if it was in the company of a stranger, his presence made her feel safe.

And now, nine years later, Fury had been the only paternal figure in her life since her parents' death. She had no other family to turn to, either shunned out or deceased at any rate.

Nick had taken her in, made her one of SHIELD's finest. She had started training when she was sixteen.

He always said that he could count the number of people he could trust on one finger, and Beth was fortunate enough to have earned that trust soon after they met.

"Beth? Beth? _Elizabeth_! Are you listening to me?" His voice brought her back to reality.

"No, sorry, what was that again?"

"I said we'll stay here for a few more days, a week tops. That'll be enough time to prepare you and Wilson."

"Sam? Don't you think you should tell him if he's going to be catching HYDRA's prized possession?"

"Beth, I can count the number of people I trust—"

"I know, I know. But you can trust Sam too, Nick."

"I don't want to take that risk just yet." He countered.

"You know, you've been talking an awful lot about your risks and assets lately."

"And? Wilson _seems_ fine. Hey, I may even be starting to like the guy. But as far as he'll be concerned, it's a standard rescue op for one of our own, nothing more."

"And when he figures out who it is we're coming back with? Then what'll you do, Nick? You can't keep lying to everyone."

"But Elizabeth, he's still a risk. Maybe even a _liability_, and I just can't afford to make a mistake like that. Now, you on the other hand. You are an asset. I haven't seen _anyone_ as skilled at hand-to-hand combat as you. You see, Beth, there are some people that have proven themselves to be loyal to SHIELD. People like you, Steve... even Romanoff."

"Romanoffs? What's she got to do this? I thought she was going incognito for a little while."

"She offered to help you when you go to Brooklyn, you'll be meeting her and the team there."

Beth was pleased. Natasha Romanov was one of the few SHIELD agents she actually worked well with.

"And Nick, what if I don't want to help?"

"Then you don't have to," he started, "but you will." He concluded finally.

"And how can you be sure of that?"

"You'd think after all these years, you wouldn't have to ask me that." When Beth didn't respond and he continued, "I know you Elizabeth. You know how much this would mean to Steve, and you know how capable you are of completing this mission. It'll be like child's play compared to what you've done before."

She doubted it. This was HYDRA's secret weapon, their masterful assassin who had survived countless decades in the shadows until now. The Winter Soldier had survived this long without remembering who he was, and there was a slim chance those memories would be resurfacing any time soon.

"I'll do it." _I have to, I owe it to Steve_ she thought, _and if not him, I sure as anything owe it to Nick._

"I knew you couldn't resist, you're not one to avoid adventure Beth, not at all."

There was a knock at the door. Beth got up to open it, but Nick put a hand on her shoulder and slowly limped his way to the front of the office. He had not yet fully recovered from his extremely-near-death experience a few weeks ago.

"Captain" He said, "Can I help you?"

"No, sir. I just wanted to speak to Elizabeth, if you don't mind."

"Enough with 'sir' business Rogers."

"Understood sir— ah, Nick." He corrected himself quickly.

Nick raised an eyebrow and turned to Beth, who was peering over her shoulder.

"A Mr. Rogers would like to see you."

Beth stood up and gave a quick nod to Nick, saying "I'll talk to you soon", before exiting with Steve.

"What were you talking about in there? You took a while."

"Oh, we were just going over our plans for the next few months, we'll be changing bases again soon..." She trailed off, unsure if Steve would buy in to her story.

"Whatever it is" he stopped, looking pointedly at Beth. Of course he knew she was lying, as good as she was, Steve knew her all too well to fall for that trick. "I'm sure I'll find out eventually." He smiled at her, letting her know it was okay. Steve knew how close Beth was to Nick, she would quite happily die before she told anyone something Nick wanted to be kept a secret.

"You heard from Nat at all?" Steve asked her casually.

"No, but—" Beth stopped. She couldn't tell Steve that they would be meeting in a few days to _rescue the Winter Soldier_.

Steve stared at her expectantly. "But what?"

"Oh, um, it's nothing. I wasn't thinking."

"You've been saying that a lot Betty, you sure you're okay?" He asked, concerned.

Beth, sounding mockingly irritated, answered, "maybe if a certain someone didn't insist on calling me 'Betty' all the time," she hit him lightly on the shoulder, "I wouldn't be so forgetful!"

"Sorry Beth, it's just a bad habit."

"Is it, Steve? Is it really?" She asked him condescendingly.

"Okay maybe that one was on purpose." Beth gave him a knowing smile. "But I knew someone in school called Elizabeth, everyone called her Betty, even _she_ called herself Betty!"

"Well Steve, my sweet ancient artifact, this Elizabeth prefers Beth. Try and remember we're in a different _century_ now..." Before she could continue, Steve had wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Say that again" he whispered, his tone light hearted.

"We...are...in...a...different.../century/, Mr. Rogers." She breathed, making sure to emphasise that particular word.

Steve reacted quickly, throwing her over his shoulder effortlessly and on to the sofa nearby. He began to tickle her, knowing it was one of her few weaknesses.

The two were both laughing in the midst of Beth's pleas for Steve to stop.

"Stop it! Steve, stop! STEVE!" She shouted in half-laughter.

"Guess what Uncle Sam bought his little soldiers today!" Sam came inside, holding what looked like several boxes of pizza. "Oh, I can see you two are a little busy..." He said.

Steve and Beth looked up at the same time. Sam took in the sight before him. Beth was lying on the sofa with Steve on top of her, his arms around her.

Beth cleared her throat, her and Steve were in a slightly more compromising position than she had realised. Steve, coming to the same conclusion looked back down at Beth, his face centimetres from hers.

He decided to show his friend mercy, giving her a quick smile before lifting her up off the sofa and on to her feet again.

They both turned to Sam, who was glaring at the two of them with a hint of curiosity. "Oh, don't stop on account of my presence, please carry on" he said with jest.

Beth laughed, "just a friendly tickle war my dear Wilson!"

"Well if the two of you _are_ done, I bought food."

"How did you manage to get past Fury? There's no way he would have let you out of here." Steve asked.

"I'm not a fugitive like the two of you."

"And here you are talking to us both. If we're fugitives, I think that makes you an accomplice." Steve declared.

"It doesn't matter, right now I couldn't even care less if we were HYDRA's most wanted, I just want to _eat_." Beth said, eyeing the boxes in Sam's hand.

Sam moved them away before Beth could grab one. "What are you doing? These are mine."

"You're going to eat all five boxes of extra large pizzas?" Steve inquired dubiously.

"I know _I_ could." Beth piped up. She put an arm around of each of the boys' shoulders. "Come on, let's get the rest of the team." She said with enthusiasm. All those weeks of being constantly on the move had made less prone to paying attention to what she ate, it had mostly been stock standard S.H.I.E.L.D manufactured food they kept in the bases. But the smell of the pizza was far too inviting to resist.

"Hey Beth?" Steve said.

"Hmm?"

"About what you said before, did you mean it? Am I really your _sweet_ ancient artifact?"

She laughed before whacking him on the back of the neck.


End file.
